PyQt5 is a Python library for Qt version 5. Qt is a collection of C++ libraries for accessing modern desktop and mobile systems such as location and positioning services, multimedia, NFC and Bluetooth connectivity, web browser, and UI.
Problem Formulation: Given a PyCharm project. How to install the PyQt5 library in your project within a virtual environment or globally?
Here’s a solution that always works:
- Open
File > Settings > Project
from the PyCharm menu. - Select your current project.
- Click the
Python Interpreter
tab within your project tab. - Click the small
+
symbol to add a new library to the project. - Now type in the library to be installed, in your example
"PyQt5"
without quotes, and clickInstall Package
. - Wait for the installation to terminate and close all popup windows.
Here’s the installation process as a short animated video—it works analogously for PyQt5, just type in “pyqt5” in the search field instead:

Make sure to select only “PyQt5” because there are many other packages that are not required but also contain the term “pyqt5” (False positives):

Alternatively, you can run the pip install PyQt5
command in your PyCharm “Terminal” view:
$ pip install PyQt5

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